Seth Rollins Must Be More Vicious to Maximize Roman Reigns Feud

Seth Rollins needs to be able to stick Roman Reigns with the full length of his knife, not just the point of the blade as he did on Monday's Raw.

WWE seems to be uncomfortable with letting Rollins ever gain the upper hand on his foes for more than a moment. That's an issue that has hurt his previous feuds; Rollins too often scurries away like a roach in search of a crack in the wall in which to hide.

As Monday's Raw closed, fans saw both a cockroach side and a cobra side of Rollins. It's the latter WWE needs to focus on more.

That will set up the champ as a bigger obstacle in Reigns' way. It further establishes him as a heel worthy of hate, and it gives Reigns a path to generating sympathy.

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The WWE world champ displayed flashes of ferocity and moments of being a mastermind in Monday's Raw's main event.

Rollins led a five-man team against Reigns' own quintet. It wasn't until the end of that traditional Survivor Series bout the champion truly left his mark on the No. 1 contender. 

The two squads had shrunk down to just Reigns and Ambrose on the babyface team and Rollins by himself on the other. After his attempts to flee failed, The Architect wisely looked to outsmart his former allies. He slipped a steel chair from the timekeeper's area and began to crack it against both of his foes' ribs.

The chair shots earned him a disqualification but allowed him to survive.

Rollins then laid out both men, forcing steel to meet flesh again and again. The moment was especially powerful because it was a call back to how Rollins first broke up The Shield. Here he was, using the same weapon on the same victims.

For an instant, Rollins played the predator with two carcasses at his feet.

Had the show ended there, Reigns would have had more revenge to seek moving forward. Rollins would have looked more fearsome heading into SmackDown and next week's Raw.

Instead, WWE chose to have the champion's issuance of violence end abruptly. Reigns fought back, flooring Rollins with a Superman Punch. Rollins rolled out of the ring, and then with his title clutched to his chest and his face shaped by the pulsing fear in his veins, he retreated.

It's a sight that has been far too common during Rollins' reign.

WWE has played up the cowardly heel portion of the champion's character without emphasizing the merciless villain element nearly enough. Rollins ran from Kane. He fumbled during his exit away from Sting.

Going the same route with Reigns is not only repetitious, it's a missed opportunity.

This rivalry is a chance to show just how heartless and dangerous Rollins is. The more he cuts his former brother-in-arms at the knees, the more he garners disdain from the audience. The more he is able to outsmart and then assault Reigns, the more powerful of a champion he looks.

WWE was just a beat or two away from reaching a crescendo of wickedness with Rollins on Monday night. But, as has been the case throughout his time with the title, Rollins didn't get a full chance to show off how savage he can be.

In the coming weeks en route to Survivor Series, that has to change.

Keep making Rollins more slippery than brutal and it will be more difficult to invest. Continuing to not let Rollins take full swings at his enemy makes it more difficult to buy into him being able to actually fend off Reigns at the pay-per-view.

That glimmer of malice Rollins showed before his latest withdrawal from battle was a look at the villain the world champ is capable of being.